Don't leave
by leoniegilmore
Summary: Pre-series. When Rory gets sick, can Lorelai take care of her on her own? please review!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Ok, this is my first fanfiction! Rory's 12, Lorelai 28. Will be some LL later, I think... **

**Oh, and you should probably know that english is not my first language, I live in Scandinavia. So please don't judge my grammar too hard. **

**And I've noticed how everyone keeps writing something about that they don't own Gilmore Girls, well, I don't either. **

CHAPTER 1

It was Wednesday morning and Lorelai and Rory walked in to Luke's diner. Without saying anything to each-other, they sat down at a table staring into the air. Luke brought out a sandwich to another customer, noticing them.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Coffee" Lorelai said.

Rory leaned her head in her hands.

"Coffee"

Luke sighed, and got Lorelai a cup of coffee and a cup of hot cocoa for Rory.

"Rory, look, he's our savior!" Lorelai exclaimed.

Rory raised her head and saw the cups on the table in front of them.

"Oh coffee!"

They both took a big sip.

"Ao, it's hot!"

Rory furrowed her eyebrowns.

"But Luke, this isn't coffee."

Luke sighed.

"Well, you're 12, I'm not gonna let that poison get into your innocent veins just yet."

Rory pouted her lips and looked at Lorelai with big blue eyes.

"Well hun, actually he might have a point. Even though I don't like to admit it."

Rory sighed. She knew that her mother almost never let her drink coffee, but since she just turned twelve, she'd hoped for that to change. Apparently not.

"You know, our coffee machine broke yesterday" Lorelai said.

"Well what happened?" Luke asked when neither of them said something more.

"What do you mean? It just stopped working, stopped making that black hot beverage that's the reason that I live and breath" Lorelai said and laid her hand on Rory's arm.

"No offence hun, I like you too."

"Non taken, I don't mind being second to coffee"

Luke crossed his arms over his chest.

"Should I come over and look at it? Maybe I can fix it"

"No that's okey. I think we need a new anyway. We've had it for like… two years now? Rory, do you remember when we got it?"

"Maybe, wasn't it like on my 10th birthday when you got all panicked because the last one, the red one, started to sound weird and then started to give off smoke?"

"Yeah that's right, so two years now"

"Yep" Rory said nodding.

"But two years. They should hold much longer than that!" Luke said indignantly.

"Well… my consumption of coffee may be a tad more than the usual American's…"

Rory giggled.

"Yeah, just a tad."

"So it's not weird that the machine stopped working really. I've been expecting it. Actually, I was planning on going shopping for a new one this weekend, even if it hadn't broke" Lorelai explained.

Luke shocked his head.

"You two are unbelievable" he muttered as he went back behind the counter. "I'm going to stop serve you coffee Lorelai, and I'm going to make sure that you don't pass your unhealthy habit on to her!"

He pointed at Rory with determined eyes and then started to take orders from a new customer.

Lorelai smiled at Rory.

"So, are you ready for the history test?"

"I think so…" Rory answered.

"Quick! During the Second World War, witch four guys should really not have had so much power as they did?"

"Hitler of course, and then there was Himmler, Goebbels and Göring."

"Well done! At least I think that was the correct answer. I'm not really good at European history." She looked at the watch at the wall. "You should go now sweetie so you won't be late"

Rory nodded and stood up and started to put on her coat.

"Are you going home right after school?" Lorelai asked. "I'll be home around five"

"Maybe I'll go to Lane for a while. I have a Belle and Sebastian-record with me that she wanted to borrow"

"Yeah okey. But you won't forget about tonight I hope?"

Lorelai smiled, she knew Rory would never forget.

"No! No, I won't. I can't wait for tonight! I'll be home before five."

Lorelai had promised Rory that they were going to shop for some new clothes before school started in September. Then the porch got broken and the car stopped working, which altogether made Lorelai practically broke for a couple of weeks. She had hardly been able to pay the bills and buy food. Rory understood the situation, but now when they were finally on their feet again, Lorelai knew that Rory really looked forward to their shopping, especially since she was going to Lindsey's birthday party on Friday and wanted a new dress.

Rory leaned forward and kissed her mother at the cheek.

"Bye mom!"

"Bye hun, have a nice day!"

"You too"

Rory hurried out the door and Lorelai watched her as she crossed the street and walked over to Lane Kim, her best friend. The two girls went across the schoolyard talking and laughing when Lorelai rise from her chair to go to work.

"Bye Luke! Thanks for the coffee"

He gave her a quick smile in return.


	2. Chapter 2

Rory sat in class listening as her teacher, Mrs Taylor, spoke about the Jewish people during the Second World War. She was tired. It seemed as if this afternoon was never going to end. Her head had started to pound after lunch and since then it had only gotten worse.

"Rory, do you know what the largest concentration camp in Poland was called?"

Rory looked up from her notes and began to answer.

"Aus… huh... huh... ishew!" she sneezed and heard the whole class giggle except Lane, who whispered, "Bless you..."

"Sorry" she said quietly and felt how her cheeks got warm and probably bright red. "I meant Auschwitz"

Mrs Taylor gave her a friendly smile and kept on talking. After class, Rory went to the girls' bathroom and blew her nose. Just as she was done, she felt a tickling in her nose.

"Huh-ishoo!" she blew her nose again and sighed. Now all she had to do before she could go home was to attend math class. After that, she was going to go home, rest, and feel much better tonight when they were going to go buy new clothes.

When Rory finally got home, she dropped her backpack in the hallway and dropped her self on the couch. She felt a bit cold and reached for the blanket on one of the couch pillows. Her head pounded and she pulled the blanket up as high as she could. After a short while she fell asleep. 

* * *

Lorelai got out of the car and got the mail out of the mailbox.

"Bills, bills, bills" she muttered and sighed.

She went towards the house, thinking about where they were going to have dinner tonight. Maybe Luke's. Or maybe they could crab something quick at the mall. Maybe Chinese!

"Rory!"

She almost stumbled over Rory's backpack in the hallway.

"Rory, babe, what do you want to eat tonight? I was thinking Chinese!"

She walked through the small house, dropped the mail on the kitchen table and looked into Rory's room. She had been anticipating seeing her daughter sitting at her desk concentrating on her homework, but the room was empty. She then heard a cough from the living room and turned to the sound.

"Rory?"

She saw her daughter trying to get up from the couch. Her ponytail was matted and she stroke some hair out of her eyes and looked sleepily at her mom while sitting on the edge of the couch.

"Hi, I didn't hear you... " she said and sniffed.

"Oh. Have you been sleeping?"

Lorelai went across the floor and sat down next to Rory.

"No, just resting" she answered and smiled tiredly.

"Are you feeling okey? You look a bit pale" Lorelai furrowed her eyebrows in concern and carefully searched her daughters face for any signs of sickness.

Rory smiled again.

"I'm fine. I was just tired because… um... in gym class today, we had to play soccer!"

She rolled her eyes and Lorelai laughed.

"You truly are my daughter"

Rory giggled.

"So, should we get going?"

"Yep!"

Both girls headed out the door and to the car.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Ok, this is my first fanfiction! Rory's 12, Lorelai 28. Will be some LL later, I think...**

**Oh, and you should probably know that english is not my first language, I live in Scandinavia. So please don't judge my grammar too hard.**

**And I've noticed how everyone keeps writing something about that they don't own Gilmore Girls, well, I don't either.**

Rory wasn't very hungry. They sat at the food-court in the mall and she had a big plate of Chinese noodles and chicken in front of her, but somehow the food didn't taste as good as it normally did. She moved a piece of chicken around at the plate while listening to her mother talking about an incident at The Inn earlier today. It was something about Michel and a couple of French guests. Her headache had started to remind itself again and her throat hurt when she swallowed. She took a sip of water.

"You're not hungry?"

She shocked her head.

"Not really. I had a couple of donuts after school."

"Lanes mom let you eat donuts?" Lorelai looked surprised. "She must have been sick or something."

"No, we ate them earlier. Like right after school. I didn't go to Lane after school, but we had doughnuts before we went home." Rory explained.

She took a sip water again. She didn't want her mom to find out that she hadn't been eating since lunch and that she had slept all afternoon, because Lorelai would assume that she was sick and take her home, and she really wanted to buy some new clothes. Plus she wasn't sick, just tired and not so hungry.

"Oh, okey" Lorelai said after a second of silence. "Can I have some of your chicken then?"

Rory giggled.

"Be my guest"

After dinner, they started their shopping. At the first store, Lorelai immediately found a t-shirt with Rolling Stones on.

"Look! This is so cool, do you want it?"

"Nah, I'd rather take something with Bowie on"

"Yeah, that's true. Besides, it's probably too big for you anyway. We should look over there" she put the t-shirt back and pointed towards the kid section.

Rory slowly wandered around in the store. She felt like her head were in some kind of fog. It seemed as if it took longer time than ever just to combine words into sentences and say them out load.

"What about this one?"

Lorelai showed her a white knitted sweater with read and blue stripes on. It was pretty.

"Yeah… I… heh… Iishii! Heh… iichoo!"

Rory sniffed.

"Bless you sweetie"

Lorelai looked at her carefully.

"Thanks. I like that one mom!" Rory grabbed the sweater and held it against her body.

"It looks like it suits you. You should try it on"

A couple of minutes later Lorelai had found Rory a pair of jeans, two t-shirts and three dresses to try on. They went to the dressing rooms and Rory entered one while Lorelai waited outside. Rory slowly started to take of her coat. She was cold and not looking forward to take off her jeans and sweater.

"Try the red dress on first, it was so pretty!" Lorelai said through the door.

"Okey" she answered and unbuttoned her jeans.

A couple of minutes later Lorelai opened the door and looked at her daughter. The dress was dark red with small black flowers. It had short sleeves and Rory shivered a little bit as she stood there, and then coughed into her arm.

"It's pretty" she said and smiled before she started coughing again. "I really *cough, cough* like it. *cough*

"Yeah it's nice. Rory, you don't look so good" Lorelai said with her eyes on Rorys flushed cheeks and on her skin that had goose bumps all over.

"But you said it was pretty!"

"Yeah sweetie, the dress is pretty and you're really pretty in it, but you look like you're not feeling well."

"Mom, I'm fine"

"Rory…"

"I just want... *cough* to find a dress… *cough* okey!"

"I know babe, but..."

"Mom, I've waited forever for new clothes! I really need them and I want this dress and I want those jeans and… *cough* the knitted sweater and I want to look at some other stores also!"

Rorys eyes started to fill up with tears and she shivered again and held her arms tightly across her chest to try to keep the warmth.

"Sweetie…"

Lorelai went in to the dressing room and hugged her daughter gently before she put a hand on her forehead.

"You feel warm. Let's go home. We can go back when you feel better. If you want to I'll buy you the dress"

"But… heh… hietchoo!"

"Come on, get dressed hun"

Rory sighed and gave in. She was too tired to fight.


	4. Chapter 4

Rory leaned her head against the seat and stared out the window. Her head pounded. She felt relieved when her throat stopped itching for a moment so she could rest and close her eyes. Lorelai glanced at her, again noticing her flushed cheeks. When they arrived at the house, Rory started coughing again as soon as she got out of the car. Lorelai put her arm around her daughter and pulled her close as they walked towards the house.

"Come on hun, tell me how you feel?"

"My head hurt" she mumbled.

"How long has it been hurting?"

"Since… *cough*... lunch"

Lorelai unlocked the door and looked compassionate at her daughter.

"Aww, sweetie, why didn't you tell me?"

Rory stroke away a lock of hair behind her ear and shrugged.

"I don't know, I wanted to go to the mall and to the party"

"Well come on, let's get you to bed."

Rory nodded and followed her mum into her room. She quickly changed into her PJ and crawled under her sheets pulling them up as high as she could. Lorelai went to the kitchen and got a glass of water and the thermometer. Rory laid still with her eyes closed until the thermometer beeped.

"101,4. Here, take these so you can get some sleep"

Rory swallowed the pills and Lorelai leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"I'll leave the door a little bit open babe, just call me if you need anything, ok?"

Lorelai woke up in the middle of the night, hearing intensive coughing from Rory's room. She immediately got out of bed and went in to her daughter's room. Rory was lying on the side, her face turned against her, her eyes closed. Still she coughed deeply.

"Sweetie" Lorelai whispered and turned on the little lamp that was placed on Rory's bedside table.

Rory opened her eyes.

"Mommy… I don't feel good." she said with a scratchy voice.

Lorelai sat down on her bedside and gently stoke away a little bit of Rory's hair from her face, and then felt her forehead.

"Oh sweetie, you're really feverish."

Rory coughed intensively, her whole body shaking, and looked up at Lorelai with glanced eyes.

"My head hurt…"

Lorelai reached for the thermometer and put it in Rory's mouth, while she was running her fingers through the girl's hair.

"101,9. Aww babe…"

She looked at her daughter with concern on her face. Rory had stopped coughing and was lying still with her eyes closed, breathing faster than usual. Lorelai rise to get some cold towels.

"Mom!" Rory reached for her hand. "Mommy, don't go"

"I'm just going to get some wet towels, I'll be right back hun"

"Kay" she whispered.

Lorelai got a couple of ice cubes out of the freezer and wrapped a towel around them. She then went back into Rory's room and laid her hand on Rory's shoulder.

"Try to lay on your back sweetie"

Rory rolled around and reached for her moms arm.

"Stay here with me…"

"Of course I'll stay babe"

Lorelai gently put the ice on Rory's forehead and the laid down next to her.

"I feel…"

Rory couldn't finish her sentence, because she started to cough again intensively and deeply. She rise on her hands and leaned forwards while coughing, which made the ice fall from her forehead on to her sheets. Lorelai gently stroke her hand across her daughters back, feeling how her PJ was moist with sweat. Finally Rory stopped coughing and Lorelai pulled her close.

"I'm so dizzy…" Rory whined, her voice sounded as if she was going to start to cry.

"I know babe…"

Lorelai let her hands go through her daughters hair while holding her close against her chest. Rory sniffed and curled closer to her, with closed eyes.

"Mommy, don't leave…" She whispered weakly.

"I won't leave you babe… I would never leave you… Now try to get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up, okey?"

She kissed her daughters head, noticing how her breath started to slow down and becoming deep and settled.

Lorelai woke up when the sun had started to make the room bright. She looked over at Rory, who were still sleeping, laying on her back. She felt the girl's forehead and sighed as she felt the warmth. She pulled the cover aside and stood up, carefully tucking her daughter in before walking in to the kitchen. Again she took out some ice cubes and wrapped a towel around them. She put the packet on Rory's forehead, without seeing any signs that the girl noticed it. Rory was still fast asleep. She crept on her toes out to the kitchen again, fetching the phone and dialing a well-known number.

"Lukes!"

"Hi, it's me"

"Lorelai? Why are you whispering?"

"Trying not to wake Rory. Hey, do you…"

"Wake Rory? You know it's ten to eight? She should be in school soon… Oh is she sick?"

Lorelai sighed.

"If you would let me finish. Yes she is sick. And I can't leave her, you know, she's really hot and coughing and I don't know when she last ate because she didn't have any dinner last night and… "

"I'll stop by with some food"

"Aw Luke, that'd be so nice!"

"Yeah well, I know that your fridge is probably empty, right? I don't want the girl to starve…"

"Thanks. And could you maybe…"

She heard him sigh.

"I'll get you some coffee too..."

She smiled.

"Thanks Luke!"


End file.
